The Baal Shem Tov, or Besht —  the founder of Chasidism — 
met the soul of the Messiah during an ascent to heaven. 
The Besht asked him, "When will the Master come?" 
The Messiah answered, "When your wellsprings break forth to the outside!" 
(from a letter written by the Besht to his brother-in-law about one of his soul ascents) 

Building the Body of Shekhinah

And it was the middle of the night, and the man awoke trembling and started, and here, a woman lying by his feet. And he said: Who are you? Mi at? And she said: I am Anokhi Ruth your maidservant. Spread your corner over your maidservant, for you are a redeemer, a go'el . ~ Ruth 3:8-3:9

"He awoke trembling"—[this means] the Holy One Blessed Be [Tif'eret], who trembles [with desire] to build the body of the Shekhinah, to be body opposite body, qomah neged qomah. For now in the time of exile it is "Alef with all of them and all of them with Alef" [i.e. they are unequal], but in the future they will be equal in appearance, standing eye to eye. Therefore the Holy One asks the Shekhinah: "Who is with you in exile? Is there anyone seeking YHVH to search out your unity, to raise up the limbs of the Shekhinah and to build your qomah?"

And all this falls upon us, to bring near the time of redemption g'ulah through means of good acts [so that] her qomah will be built and established...Know [therefore] how to raise up, now in this day especially, the limbs of the Shekhinah in order to redeem her from exile, for this is the drive, the intent of our souls, m'gamat nafsheinu...to build her and to prepare her with a complete body, qomah sh'leymah.

Z'ev Wolf of Zhitomir (d. 1798), Or Hame'ir, pp.51-2, commentary on Ruth and Boaz

Design in progress © Rabbi David Mevorach Seidenberg 2006